Habitat management varying in space and time: the effects of grazing and fire management on marshland birds

Abstract

(for four years) and late-summer burning (one or three years before the study) on both songbirds 29 and non-passerines in a previously homogeneous reedbed. We surveyed birds by a combination 30 of line transects and point counts in a quasi-experimental design consisting of six treatment 31 levels. Management led to a higher diversity of marsh habitats and increased bird diversity. The 32 species richness and abundance of non-passerines (ducks and geese, wading birds, gulls and 33 terns, rails, coots and grebes) was higher in recently burned than in unburned or old-burned 34 patches. The species richness of farmland songbirds was higher in grazed patches than in non-35 grazed patches, and reed songbirds had higher richness and abundance in unburned, old-burned 36 or grazed patches than in recently burned patches. Total Shannon diversity and evenness of birds

Spatiotemporally variable management by grazing and burning increases marsh diversity and benefits amphibians: A field experiment

“…To our knowledge, our study is the first to provide both direct and indirect evidence of beneficial effects of cattle-grazing and fire management on amphibians in non-forest habitats, and thus it fills a gap in wetland management for biodiversity conservation (Valkama et al 2008). Surveys of the bird community in the study area also demonstrated that management resulted in a higher diversity of habitats and it increased bird diversity in various ways (Mérő et al 2015). Our results agree with those of Perry et al (2012), who found greater abundance of toads after a short-rotation controlled burning in forests, and suggest that burning can also benefit toads in marshes.…”

“…Spatiotemporally variable management may break up habitat homogeneity, leading to more heterogeneous habitat structure and a range of habitat types accessible for a wider pool of species (Christensen 1997;Wiens 1997). Spatiotemporally variable management by grazing and prescribed fire leads to heterogeneous habitats in temperate grasslands (Fuhlendorf and Engle 2001;Hartnett et al 1996;Vinton et al 1993) and in wetlands (Mérő et al 2015).…”

“…Grazing and burning were conducted to increase the diversity of marshes that had become homogeneously overgrown by Common Reed due to invariable management (constant water supply and winter reed harvesting) in the past. In a unique large-scale field experiment (Mérő et al 2015), we quantified reed cover, plant species richness, anuran species richness and counts over two years to address five questions: (i) Does management reduce reed cover, influence vegetation structure and increase the diversity of habitats? (ii) Do changes in reedbed properties due to management benefit anuran amphibians?…”

Reviewing historical traditional knowledge for innovative conservation management: A re-evaluation of wetland grazing

“…4 species and (micro)habitat diversity (Mori, 2011;Mérő et al, 2015;Vadász et al, 2016). Appropriate 80 grazing regimes may, for example, induce patchiness, lead to greater microhabitat diversity, alter 81 habitat functioning (Davidson et al, 2017).…”

Freshwater biodiversity conservation through source water protection: Quantifying the potential and addressing the challenges

“…In the absence of native grazers, the creation and maintenance of wetlands (e.g. vernal pools) may depend on cattle grazing, with benefits for native freshwater species (Marty, 2005;Mero, Lontay, & Lengyel, 2015).…”